Beverage Coaster Paper - A Protective Paper Grade Development

Abstract

Beverage coaster paper represents a specialty paper grade, which has its origin in the late 1880s. Its primary function is to serve as a barrier between the beverage and the table surface by soaking up the condensing water of the cold beverage and protect the wooden table surface as well as the customer from droplets of the condensing water. A beverage coaster grade was developed utilizing thermos mechanical pulp, bleached softwood and bleached hardwood Kraft pulp. Manufactured on a 48-inch (1219 mm) wide small commercial Fourdrinier paper machine with an oven dry basis weight basis weight of 473.6, and thickness of 886 µm. The water absorbance achieved a value 784 g/m² for the top side and 693 g/m² for the wire side of the paper. The smoothness value was 2734 ml/min for the top and 2784 ml/min for the wire side The burst index was measured at 0.56 kPa*m²/g, a tear index of 14.68 mNm²/g for the machine direction and 10.78 mNm²/g for the cross machine direction. The manufactured beverage coaster paper had no visible signs of dirt and a yellowish white color, an opacity a value of 100%, a brightness of 79.14% and a whiteness of 54.76%. The yellowish white colour had an 95.24% value for the L*, -1.62 for the a*, and 7.23 for the b*.